You won’t want to miss it!!  Saturday, August 9 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the corner lot (Rt 69 & 69A) Look who is going to be at the Parish Olde Home Days: 

Evelyn Stelmashuck with a local farming presentation; Icy Creek Farms with a sheep shearing demo and sheep too; Ann Passmore and Sandy Miller will have homemade quilts on display; the Parish United Methodist Church will host an Ice cream social on the lawn of their church next door; Barb Horning antique doll display and her husband Rich will have his antique farm machinery (will you be able to identify any?); B. Gale Mullen will have an informational table on ducks and possibly have some live ducks,  the Parish Town Historical Society will have a display of pictures, memorabilia and those tickets ($1 each or 6 for $5) for you to purchase for a chance to win the thirty-two inch, double tiered bench built and donated by Ken Henderson from the wood of historic barn that sat at the bottom of Tannery Hill on North Railroad Street..  The drawing will take place in the late afternoon  Florence Gardner, Albion historian will demonstrate the art of chair caning in the morning.

There are high hopes that Sue Romanowski will give a bread baking demonstration, that Sharon Robbins will show her sewing skills and Henry Gloude will be creating a masterpiece with his chain saw carving exhibition.

It will be great to find some watermelons with seeds so that a seed spitting contest could be held along with the many other events.  If not there will still be watermelon wedges, candy and my sort of famous, delicious chocolate chip cookies. 

Bridget Swartz, our historian and librarian, will give tours in the afternoon of the Parish Public Library providing the history of the building and viewing the new renovations.  While there you will have a unique opportunity to view one of Earl Church's violins; Robert Miller took lessons from Prof. Church and was given one of his very favorites to treasure and will be on display.

The Altmar-Parish-Williamstown class of 1958 enjoyed the weekend of July 18 – 20 to celebrating fifty years since they graduated with a class of thirty-one seniors.  Five classmates have since passed away and were sadly missed; Judy Waterman McCloat, Faye Whitney, James Densmore, James Sweatland and Leila Gardner Densmore.

 Class members came from all over the United States to attend the three day event beginning with dinner at the EIS House in Mexico on Friday evening.  A picnic at the Salmon River Fish Hatchery in Altmar was held on Saturday.  On Sunday, the class said their goodbyes at a brunch at the Grist Mill Restaurant in Parish.

 Those attending the picnic on Saturday and featured in the picture are from left to right:  Tom Colwell, Mary Alice Zender Myers, Kurt Clarke, Clarice Bristol Darrow, Grace Backus Jones, Bill Wheeler, Nancy Weaver Bookheimer, Chuck Green, Jeanie Mattison Densmore, Ed Polgrean, Lucy Barthel Duell, Wayne Davidson, Janice Barber Howard, Raymond Smith and Don Densmore.  In addition, Patricia Larry Mosher, David Birmingham and retired Altmar teacher Albert Elmer attended the dinner Friday evening at the EIS House.

The group is planning to meet again in two years.

On July 21, Carl and Jean Wood former Parish residents now residing in Warner Robbins, GA and Ken and Grace Backus Jones from Columbus , Ohio met for lunch at the Grist Mill in Parish.  They called on Gail Madison and then Gloria White and Sharon White in the afternoon.

 Carl and Jean Wood attended the annual Greyhound picnic in Syracuse on Tuesday, July 22^nd.  They headed home to Warner Robbins, GA on Thursday, July 24^th after spending a month in the Parish.  They attended their granddaughter Stephanie Baum’s graduation and visited with many of their friends and family while in the area.

 Kurt Clarke from Delaware, Ohio was in Parish for two days to attend his 50^th High School Class reunion July18th.  He stayed with his brother Doug and sister-in-law Janice Clarke while here in Parish.

 Grace Backus Jones and her husband Ken visited with her Aunt Verna Backus at Sandy Pond on July 21^st. They headed home to Columbus , Ohio after spending a week with relatives in Camden and attending the APW Class of 1958 50^th reunion festivities.

  Rich, Wyant and Mary Matt had a delicious supper with Chet and Gretchen Sayer on Thurs. evening, July 24. 

Shirley and Bob Root enjoyed lunch with Chet and Gretchen Sayer  at Borios Restaurant in Cicero on Friday, July 25. 

On Saturday, July 26 “Ellie” Hains of Parish attended the Class of 1958 Central Square High School reunion.  Thirty-one students and old friends got together to reminisce about their lives and accomplishments of the last fifty years.  The class of ’59 also were invited to join them.  Everyone enjoyed the food and friendships while trying to recognize faces they hadn’t seen for so many years.

The Parish Public Library hosted a well attended, delightful “Winifred’s Well”  book signing by author John Shaffer on Tuesday, July 29 at the Parish United Methodist Church.  Not only did Mr. Shaffer autograph books, but he brought along vials of “healing” water from Britain’s St. Winifred’s Well to share. 

Oh no, sad but true, by the time this hits the paper there will be only one week left of Parish Summer Recreation.  The exciting 2008 Summer Program, under the unsurpassed direction of Sue Lamb and assistant Kara Perkins.  The 130 plus children are having lots of fun with the many theme days, trips and special guests, just every day is full of fun.  Each week they cool down at Scriba Town Park’s swimming pool,  on the other hot days there is some sort of water fun.  The Fridays are set up for field trips, the first week was bowling at Lighthouse Lanes and fun at Breitbeck Park in Oswego; week two they were entertained to the extreme on Tuesday, July 15 by “Wacky Chad” with his unicycle, mini-cycle, pogo stick and many antics.  The afternoon with Wacky Chad was made possible by the Oswego County Youth Bureau and that Friday the campers spent the day at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo.   Many of the youths walk up to the Parish Public Library each Monday, on July 28 they thoroughly enjoyed special guest, Peg Peck, an awesome storyteller that held every bit of their attention.  Today, August 1 had them cooling down with ice skating in Cicero.   Some of the theme days have been:  Pirates, Sleep Over, Amazing Race, Hawaiian,  Olympics, Decade Day more to come this week.

The Classes of 1998 and 1999 will celebrate jointly a 10 Year Reunion.  They are in need of updated classmate contact information including addresses, email addresses, and possible name changes.  Please forward any information pertaining to members of the Class of 1998 or 1999 to Lisa Dennison Knapp at Lisavoley2@...

To make this column interesting and informative, we need to hear from you, email information to guindfam@... or call 625-4575. 

Blessings and Peace be with you,

Mary Lou Miller Guindon/'75
315 625 4575